Responsible Refrigeration
BARNEY RICHARDSON
Barney Richardson is the director of South African Refrigeration and Air
Conditioning Contractors Association (SARACCA) and sits on various other
boards within the HVAC industry, including the South African Qualifications
and Certifications Committee for Gas (SAQCC) Gas.
YOU NEED A COC!
By Barney Richardson
Both registered and unregistered refrigeration gas practitioners continue
to ask why they must issue a Certificate of Conformity (CoC) for
HVAC&R installation and maintenance work. Here’s why.
T
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The training and
skills necessary
for installers
who take on the
responsibility of
signing a CoC are
to the benefit of
the practitioner,
the employer,
and at the end of
doing the work,
the client.
he Pressure Equipment Regulations in the regulation 17 (3)
clearly state and specify the requirement:
“An authorised person or an approved inspection authority
shall issue a certificate of conformity after completion of a gas
installation, modification, alteration or change of user or ownership
in the form of Annexure 1.”
The South African Qualification and Certification
Committee for Gas (SAQCC Gas) and the South African
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors Association
(SARACCA), through its mandate from the Department
of Labour, have available Certificate of Conformity (CoC)
books which conform to the annexure 1 in the Government
Gazette. The books cost R490 (inclusive of VAT), each with 50
certificates in the book. A CoC book can be purchased from
the SARACCA office.
In the Category ‘A’ part of the Authorised Refrigeration Gas
Practitioners only two levels may sign a Certificate of Conformity
for installation and or maintenance work. The first are the
cardholders authorised to install and maintain domestic (R290
and R600a) and light commercial refrigeration units. These are
the domestic refrigerators, small ice makers, self-contained bar
fridges and beverage coolers using Hydrocarbon refrigerants
and where specific training on the units has been completed and
assessed as competent.
The second type of practitioner is the one authorised to
install and maintain room air-conditioning units up to 18kW
cooling capacity (60 000btu/hr) and can sign a CoC for the work
they take sole responsibility for. The other practitioner under
Category A, namely the operator who is authorised to operate
a refrigeration plant and is aware of safety regulations and
requirements, may not sign a CoC. The registered practitioner
who is authorised to install refrigeration piping, components
and equipment under supervision also may not sign a CoC. This
is the responsibility of the person who is supervising and who is
registered as a Category B practitioner. An air-conditioning or
refrigeration apprentice/ learner who is in training cannot sign
a CoC while in training. Once they’ve passed the trade test and
have upgraded their registration to Level 6 in Category B, they
can then sign a CoC.
It is important to remember that the training and skills
necessary for installers who take on the responsibility of signing
a Certificate of Conformity are to the benefit of the practitioner,
the employer and at the end of doing the work, the client. There
are specific Unit Standards in place to meet the Safe Handling of
Refrigerants registration. In addition, it is recommended that the
RACA Journal I June 2019
63